Water Rocket Launch
Reflection
6. How do you think the rocket would have behaved differently if it were launched in a weightless atmosphere?
In essence, weightlessness has got to do with the absence gravitational pull. As Newton’s first law points out, “an object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force” (Winterberg, 2015). In that regard, therefore, a rocket in its launch pad is at rest and has no unbalanced forces acting upon it. When it is launched, the forces are unbalanced by the thrust after the ignition of the engines. Gravity pulls the rocket down as it ascends. Ideally, the rocket eventually slows down when fuel runs out and gravity ‘pulls’ it back to earth after it attains the flight’s highest point. With no gravitational pull, and as per Newton’s first law, the rocket would in my opinion stay in motion (assuming no other forces come into play).
7. What safety measures do you think engineers consider when launching a real rocket? Consider the location of most launch sites as part of your answer.
To ensure that no major incidents are witnessed...
To begin with, there is need to ensure that there are no non-essential personnel at the launch pad. The pad may also be inspected to remove all debris. Further, I would want to believe that the weather conditions are also taken into consideration. Launching through disturbed weather (i.e. a thunderstorm) could jeopardize the entire undertaking or risk the life of the crew. The launch pad should not also be located in a densely populated area to avoid serious incidents, i.e. i.e. thrust failure as a consequence of mechanical faults whereas the rocket falls back after travelling a short distance. A coastal region would, therefore, be a preferable launch site.
8. When engineers are designing a rocket which will carry people in addition to cargo, how do you think the rocket will change in terms of structural design, functionality, and features?
Structural design in such a case would have to incorporate thinner and lighter materials. This is more so the case given that when people and cargo are added into the equation, every…
